The Forest Lake City Council voted July 13 to start the process of suing Buberl Recycling and Compost, the company that was supposed to operate the Forest Lake Compost Site before its permit was rescinded before the 2014 compost season.
Buberl and Forest Lake were supposed to cooperate in the summer of 2014 on a Washington County-approved cleanup plan at the site, where Buberl reportedly dumped and stored demolition material not allowed under its compost permit. However, after Buberl passed multiple deadlines to have cleanup done, the city began attempts to terminate the 10-year compost agreement signed with the company in 2011.
City Attorney Jay Karlovich said the city has engaged in negotiations with Buberl for six months with little forward progress. The council voted unanimously to allow Karlovich to file a court summons and complaint in Washington County Court.
“The city never wants to spend taxpayer money on litigation, but at this point I’m not really sure what to do,” Karlovich said.
In the complaint included in the council packet, the lawsuit accuses Buberl of breach of contract and seeks to remove the company from the site and force the company to repay the city for the costs it will incur in cleaning up the site.
Karlovich said that throughout the lawsuit process, he and city staff will continue to seek an alternative settlement with Buberl.
More information will be posted online soon and in the next issue of The Forest Lake Times.